


How To Get Away With Fraud

by YoshikoHoshi



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comedy, Exposing Hogwarts, Original Character(s), Parody, plot holes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2019-11-23 20:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18156863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YoshikoHoshi/pseuds/YoshikoHoshi
Summary: Daphne has ran away from home and she's determined not to be found. When she discovers a secret gate to a secret platform and a train to a secret school, she decides to go for it and pretend like she belongs there, even though she knows absolutely nothing about the magical world.





	1. How To Find Platform 9 and 3/4

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! I got an idea for this funny story and I couldn't find anything satisfying that would be similar so I decided to try writing it myself.  
> Few disclaimers tho: English is not my first language, so expect some mistakes, but I hope they won't hurt your eyes too much :P Second, the story is supposed to be a comedy, and also it was a while since I read the books so don't be too picky when it comes to plot holes and being faithful to the books. I will try my best to cover my mistakes if they come out too stupid but just try not thinking too much about it.  
> Comments, kudos, suggestions will be appreciated and now, enjoy reading!

   King's Cross station was crowded as ever. People were running for their trains, carrying large suitcases and sometimes pulling their little children behind them. Whistling noise was piercing the air and constant messages about arriving and departing trains were making it hard to talk with anybody. It wasn't a problem for Daphne Chapman for she was completely alone and had no one to speak to.  
Daphne was a thirteen years old girl sitting currently on the floor beside a King's Cross' wall. She was brushing her dark brown hair with her fingers and observing the crowd that was passing her. No one was concerned about her being there and it was for the best. If somebody noticed her they would probably ask where her parents are. And she really didn't want to think about her mother nor her father. She just left the house, first thing in the morning, only with a small backpack with her underwear, toothbrush, few coins, diary and a half of a baguette for lunch. The moment she left her neighborhood she felt free, happier than ever. Her parents won't wake up for another hour probably. But she still wasn't safe in London, she needed to escape before they knew she's gone.  
   Another train arrived at the station with a lot of noise but she heard the station worker shout it was bound for Edinburgh. _Edinburgh must be great_ – Daphne thought but she didn't move. She just could see her face plastered all over the Scotland's capital with a big red “missing!” written above. No, Edinburgh wasn't a safe place for her. She wrapped her arms around her legs and observed the crowd closely, thinking what their problems are.  
She noticed a big family of redheads and smiled to herself. It was probably nice to have so many brothers or sisters. You would always have somebody to play with and somebody to trust. But Daphne was an only child and she only played with her cat. That is until it escaped from her house and she never saw it again. She hoped she will be as successful as her car in escaping.  
   She turned her attention back to the redhead family just to find out they were gone with a blink of an eye. Daphne stood up curious where they went, but they were nowhere to be seen. Saddened, she sat by the wall and looked at the new crowd. She noticed a boy with a large trunk and a cage with an owl on top of it. The bird was snowy white and it was cleaning its feathers. Daphne was mesmerized – she have never seen such a beautiful creature. And just as she was thinking how cool would it be to be a bird, the boy was gone. The girl rubbed her eyes shocked but he still wasn't there. Am I going crazy? - she questioned herself but continued to look at the people between the platform Nine and Ten. She tried not to blink, yet kids and teenagers were disappearing all the time from there. And they were all carrying enormous trunks and sometimes also owls, toads and cats. It couldn't be a coincidence. She still didn't see how any of them were actually going missing, she just couldn't stop herself to blink, and then they were gone.  
   Daphne stood up and took her backpack, even though it looked weird compared to all the baggage everyone was carrying. Nevertheless she took few determined steps in the direction of a strange column between platform Ten and Nine. She observed discreetly all the new families flooding this area but still she couldn't figure out how were they doing that. It's like they just walked right into the column and disappeared.  
“Having troubles with the gate to the Platform ¾?”  
   Daphne jumped when somebody touched her shoulder. It was a teenage boy, similar to the other missing children – he had a big trunk and a cage with a black cat inside.  
“ _Platform ¾_?” - she thought - “ _That's the silliest thing I've ever heard_ ”  
   Nevertheless it kind of made sense – the kids were disappearing between Platform 9 and 10 after all. She swallowed, stressed and slowly nodded her head.  
“Yeah, I remember when I got there before my first year. I'm also a muggle-born. And I stood there like a fool until some wizard family helped me. So it's great now I can continue the tradition. C'mon!”  
Daphne felt like she was struck with a lighting. “This lad is a complete psycho!” - she thought, but was too scared to object to anything he said. He grabbed her hand and started running at the wall.  
“ _Goodbye, cruel world. Yes, it might be for the best I just smash myself on that wall and die._ ”  
   She ran with the boy and second before the impact she closed her eyes. But there was not impact at all. They just eventually stopped running and the teenager let go of Daphne's hand. She opened her eyes, certain he just decided to spare her or it was all just a prank from the start, and was shocked like never before.  
   In front of her eyes appeared a platform she have never seen before. It was filled with kids with trunks, owls, toads, cats, rats, brooms, cauldrons. Most of them were wearing robes and the adults had pointy witch hats on their heads. Daphne rubbed her eyes like crazy and then she tried pinching herself, but it was all still there – real as everything.  
“Yeah, it's awesome, isn't it? I had the same reaction. Anyway, take care and see you in Hogwarts!” - the boy waved at her and left quickly, getting lost in the crowd.  
   Daphne stood her, clutching her backpack and considered her options. She could just tell somebody she is here by a mistake, she could try going back by herself (which sounded very dangerous and Daphne quickly dropped that idea).  
“ _Hogwarts_?” it just came to her what the boy said. “ _What in the bloody hell is Hogwarts? Is this like a farming school?_ ”  
   She thought about it again and decided to address the elephant in the room – the boy talked about wizards, and the sight of Platform ¾ just confirmed it. It was either a convention for very engaged geeks - which of course Daphne considered the main option – or it really was about magic. Like a real one. And all the people there were wizards and witches, and they were going to Hogwarts which is like a school for magic people, but with a very stupid name. This option of course was very silly, even for a thirteen years old like Daphne.  
   The crowded was getting smaller, the kids were boarding the trains and adults were waving at them from the platform. Daphne took a big breath, clutched her bag tighter and with determined steps, she got inside the train as well. Her heart was beating like crazy. “ _What if they check for tickets?_ ” - she thought and started sweating but quickly shook her head. - “ _In the absolutely worst scenario they try contacting my parents. But then I will run away tomorrow or the day after! Right now I will do my best not getting caught!_ ”  
   She wiped the sweat from her forehead and started walking down the aisle. All the compartments were already full or nearly full. It would be ideal to find a empty one, so no one asks her anything, but she doubted it will be possible. And maybe she could use some company to get more information about where are they going and what for.  
   She stopped by a compartment that was occupied by a girl and a boy around her age. They looked friendly enough so she decided to risk it and go inside. They smiled at her and after she put her bag on the shelf they extended their hands.  
“Hello! My name is Hermione Granger. And this is Neville. We're both in our first year. And you?” - Daphne shook their hands. The girl had a big, messy hairstyle and front teeth a little too big. Her voice sounded bossy, but Daphne didn't mind that much. The boy was a little chubby, with a round face and scared expression.  
“I'm Daphne. I'm also in the first year.” - she lied and sat down in front of them. The conductor whistled last time and the train slowly started moving. Hermione and Neville walked to the window and waved, probably at their parents. Daphne pretended she is very busy watching if the bags on shelves don't fall when the train moves to fast.  
After the train left the station Hermione and Neville sat again but didn't ask if her parents haven't seen her off. Daphne was grateful of course and wanted to start a conversation but didn't really know what to say. She sat comfortably and looked at the ceiling.  
“So... Hogwarts, ey?” - she said, pretending to be deep in thoughts. The other kids wiggled excited and nodded.  
“I've already read most of the school books and even the History of Hogwarts. I don't want to be worse than the others just because I'm a muggle-born” - said Hermione and Daphne looked at her with a big smile.  
“Hey, I'm also a moggle-born!” - she said happily, connecting the facts like a detective. Somehow the girls both looked at Neville, awaiting his response. His face became red in a second and he sunk a little in his seat.  
“Oh... I was raised by my grandma... And she's a witch, so...” - he said in a shy tone, looking at his knees the whole time. Daphne spotted a big toad sitting beside him with its eyes closed.  
“Cool toad” - she commented, hoping to make him feel better. Neville indeed smiled a bit and took his pet onto his lap with a proud expression.  
“Thanks, his name is Trevor. My uncle gave it to me when he heard I got accepted to Hogwarts” - the boy tried to pet the toad but it didn't look very happy about it. After few strokes it jumped from his lap on the floor and trough the open door – outside. “Oh no!” - he screamed, and ran after it. Daphne and Hermione also stood up and followed him, but they found him outside, holding his head with his hands. - “I don't know which was she went!” - he said, panicking.  
“It's okay, Neville. Calm down” - Daphne said - “Go look that way and we will look there.”  
   The boy nodded and walked in the direction Daphne pointed for him. The girls looked at each other, shared a little smile and went the opposite way.  
“I hope you will pick it up if we find it” - said Hermione. - “I'm scared it's kinda gross”  
   Daphne chuckled but said nothing, not sure if she will be okay with touching it. They walked a bit, not bothered to check any compartments since they were closed so Trevor couldn't walk inside. When they reached one that was opened, they peaked inside. There were two boys around their age inside. One with red hair and the other with black.  
“Hey, have you seen a toad? Our friend lost it and we're looking for it” - said Hermione. Daphne opened her eyes wide – the red haired boy was holding a stick which clearly looked like a magic wand. He was in the middle of patting his rat with it, but nothing really happened except few sad sparks. Still it was enough for Daphne to be shocked and ready to pinch herself again.  
“Oh, you're casting spells?” - said Hermione and walked inside like it was already her compartment. She said in front of the black haired boy and took out her wand. - “I read something about it already” - she said in a “Know-it-all” tone and put the wand it front of the boy's face. Daphne's heart was beating so fast now, not ready to witness actual magic. But it happened right there and then. - “Oculus Reparo!” - she exclaimed and touched boy's glasses with the end of her wand. They were clearly broken and taped together before but now they jumped, twisted and placed themselves back on his nose – looking like new!  
   Daphne had to hold to the door, not to faint like a fool. It couldn't be some kind of a fake magic trick. It was real. And she was on a train filled with people who could do that. Oh, she was in a big trouble. She either had to jump trough the window right now or step her game up. Because pretending she knows what a “moggle-born” is won't be enough soon.

* * *

 

   They kids were now all sitting together – Neville has found Trevor and joined the rest. Harry bought a lot of sweets from the Candy Lady and they were now all trying numerous things. Daphne noticed he paid with something other than pounds – something very gold. She barely had any normal money so she doubted she could exchange it for those gold coins.  
“That's Albus Dumbledore! He's the headmaster of Hogwarts” - said the red-head boy whose name was Ron. Harry, the other boy was just looking at his collector card from a chocolate frog. “They say he's very powerful!”  
   Daphne swallowed. It probably wasn't a great idea to illegally sneak into a magic school ruled by a powerful wizard. But she already decided she will try doing that and she was determined.  
“He disappeared!” - Harry checked the card closely but the man indeed wasn't there.  
“Of course, do you think he has the time to sit there whole day?” - answered Ron like it was the most obvious thing. Daphne noticed that Harry must also be a muggle-born, since he didn't know things about magic world like her and Hermione. She still didn't figure out what that exactly means but she knew there are more people that don't understand magic rules and it gave her an advantage. Every time she didn't know what to say she would just hide behind that title.  
“Do you know what house do you want to be sorted to?” - asked Ron without further explanation. - “My whole family was in Gryffindor so I doubt I will be different.”  
“I heard Ravenclaw is for people who are knowledge-hungry” - said Hermione - “So I will probably go there.” - she smiled proudly.  
   Neville sunk in his seat and clearly didn't want to answer the question. And Harry and Daphne were just very confused so Hermione rushed with an explanation:  
“There are four houses in Hogwarts. You are sorted to them based on your character traits and it influences where you sleep and who do you have classes with. To simplify – Gryffindor is for the brave, Hufflepuff for the hard-working, Slytherin for the ambitious and Ravenclaw is for creative.”  
   Daphne tilted her head in a shock. It didn't really make sense, and it wasn't like nothing in normal school she was used to. She didn't understand the need to divide children like that.  
“I think it's silly. I would call myself all of those things...” - she said, realizing at the end it might sounds a bit arrogant. Before anyone could speak, she followed: - “How do you get sorted anyway? Some kind of personality test?”  
“With a sorting hat” - said Ron, mouth full with chocolate. - “It reads your mind and know everything!”  
   Daphne wasn't that excited, she gulped and chewed on her candy bar – no more question asked. Powerful headmaster, mind-reading hat – it was all getting very scary.


	2. How To Get Sorted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for kudos and follows! Hope you will like this chapter. Quick disclaimer tho: I don't know how Hagrid should speak, I tried my best ><' And also I looked to the book for a small reference and noticed I already messed up many events so just excuse me xd It's just gonna be very much AU

It was getting dark and all the excitement was slowly decreasing. Kids filled with unholy amount of chocolate were leaning on each other and trying not to fall asleep, but as their eyelids were getting very heavy, the door to their compartment opened with a thud, scaring them from their slumbers.

"Wake up, sleepy heads, we're almost there" - said some old student with a cheerful voice. Kids wiped their eyes and exchanged excited smiles. - "Change into your robes." - the student added and left quickly to bother others.

Everybody reached for their bags and started looking for their school uniforms. Daphne of course was sitting there, very embarrassed and trying not to show it. Right now watching some old scar on her hand was the most important thing to do. But it didn't work for long:

"What's up, Daphne?" - asked Harry putting his robes on and smacking Ron by accident. - "You're not changing?"

"Oh, well..." - she started, face flushed bright pink. - "I now realized I forgot my uniform..."

She closed her eyes, ready to be exposed right there. I mean –  _who forgets stuff like that?_  But just as she was waiting to be laughed at, she felt soft material on her lap. She opened her eyes and found neatly folded set of robes.

"You can borrow my spare ones" - Hermione said. - "I took three, just in case. You can keep it until your parents send you your own."

Daphne looked at her with teary eyes. Right now she looked like the prettiest angel with the most beautiful bushy hair Daphne had ever seen.

"Thank you..." - she said, voice cracking. - "I will give them back as soon as I can."

"So probably when they expose me and throw me away" - she thought, not sure if it's a matter of minutes or days.

She put on the robes and buttoned them. She also didn't miss the opportunity to comment how ugly they are – but only in her head, cause it's really rude to tell smack about stuff you borrowed. " _Wow, do I look like a witch yet?_ " - Daphne looked at her reflection in the window and adjusted the pointy hat. She definitely did look like like a crazy person – she thought.

"Wow, look!" - Ron shouted louder than it was necessary. Daphne stopped admiring herself and noticed the thing Ron was pointing at. In the distance there was a massive castle, placed on a hill. It had few towers and all the windows were lightened up. Right beside the castle there was a big lake, now glowing in the moonlight. Before they could admire its beauty, the train started to slow down and soon it stopped at the station.

The kids were rushing to the exit, blinded with excitement and tripping on their robes. Even Daphne forgot she was scared as hell just a minute ago. Now she just wanted to take one more look at the castle and so she followed Ron, Harry, Hermione and Neville. Once they were out on the station they heard a loud voice telling the first years to gather in one place. To owner of the voice made Daphne weak in the knees but not really in a good way.

"It's a giant!" - she couldn't stop herself to say it and it was louder than she intended.

"Half-giant, 'ctually" - the big man responded. Daphne became scarlet red on the the face. Not only it was rude to say it in the first place, it was probably normal in the wizard world to be this big and she drew more attention to her.

"I'm sorry..." - she mumbled, staring at her feet, not even sure if the man will hear it.

"Aw, It's okay, kids be shocked when 'ey see me" - he smiled cheerfully and started counting children. - "Okay, I think that's everybody, let's go, firs' years!"

"I feel so stupid..." - whispered Daphne to her new friends. Harry shook his head:

"Don't, I was very surprised when I saw him for the first time too..."

Daphne brightened up a bit but have him a puzzled look:

"You met him already?"

"Yeah, he came to my house to tell me I'm a wizard, cause my guardians were keeping my letters from me so I didn't know I got accepted to Hogwarts..."

"That's horrible!"

"It's cool, the most important thing is I know now and I could get out of there."

Daphne nodded in an understanding manner. She understood more than anybody there, probably. Well, her sole purpose in getting on that train was to escape her home. But it wasn't something she could say so easily like Harry.

"Me name's Hagrid, by the way." - said the half-giant all of a sudden. - "I'm the Keeper of Keys and Grounds in 'ere. An' as a firs' years you get to swim the boats to the castle, but be careful and hold tight! Don't want anybody in the water'!"

They stopped at a small dock when dozen little boats were tied together. Hagrid started untying them and putting three kids in each one. Daphne got on the first one with Hermione and Neville but she was trembling from fear. She didn't understand how they were supposed to get on the other side without any paddles or at least adult help, but she didn't say anything cause she was done sounding like an idiot all the time. They left the dock and Daphne focused on holding tight to the wood.

"I think they are enchanted" - suddenly Neville said like reading her mind. - "To get us to the other side, I mean. That's what Grandma said..."

"Wow, that's so cool and safe" - Daphne mumbled but instantly felt better. Obviously, they are enchanted – she thought and felt happy she didn't say anything at loud. From now on she decided she will just assume everything is enchanted and normal.  _A huge dragon appears? That's probably the school's mascot._   _Nothing to worry about._

The sky was already dark blue and filled with so many stars. The lake was peaceful and glistening like in a fairy tale. Daphne put her hand in the cold water and closed her eyes, feeling at peace, at least for a moment. Literally for a moment, cause soon she heard a loud splash and their boat shook a bit.

"Neville!" - Hermione screamed first followed by Daphne's louder shriek. The boy was flapping his arms in the water and swallowing it right and left.

"Hold on!" - they heard Hagrid shout. The man took one paddle and tried to get to them but they were at least two dozen meters away.

"Take his right hand!" - Daphne commanded, heart beating like crazy. She lied down and threw her hands to Neville, and Hermione quickly followed. - "Come on, so close! Paddle a bit!" - she tried paddling with her arms, getting her robes all wet but getting closer to Neville. Hermione helped her and soon the could reached the boy. They locked him in a tight grip and pulled him on the boat, grunting to give them additional strenght. In the end it worked and Neville was back on the deck, soaked like a wet sponge and crying.

"Yer 'lright?" - asked Hagrid who just got there and looked really worried.

"Yeah, he's fine, we pulled him back. Sorry for the trouble." - said Daphne and pat Neville on the back, he was now coughing and spitting.

"'kay, good. Keep an eye on 'im, 'lright?"

"Yeah, of course" - said Hermione and hold on to Neville's arm so he stayed in one place for sure. - "You scared us so much, Neville! You have to be more careful if you're clumsy!"

The boy nodded his head embarrassed.

Soon they arrived on the other side of the lake and they came out from the bout and waited for the rest. When everybody gathered, they started going towards the castle. It was completely dark now so they all stayed in a tight group. Ron was explaining them something about sport, which Daphne didn't get at all but they were interrupted suddenly by a blond boy followed by two big, dumb-looking kids.

"Are you Harry Potter? I heard it was really you." - he started and shivers came down Daphne's spine – his voice was so annoying and she almost felt what he was going to say next. - "I'm Draco Malfoy."

Ron snickered a bit and Daphne had to step herself not to follow in his leads.

"You think that's funny? You I also know, it's not hard to say you're a Weasley. Red head, second-hand clothes and more sibling your parents can afford." - Malfoy laughed and so did his big friends, or bodyguards maybe. Ron became red in the face but said nothing, which lead Daphne to think Malfoy was correct. Nevertheless he made her very angry with those words.

"Soon you will find out some families are better than others" - Draco said to Harry. - "You don't want to make friends with the bad ones. I can help you there."

Daphne couldn't help but laugh at loud.

"What are you, a racist?" - she asked, laughing. - "Are you just pretending to be that stupid or is this all serious?" - she gestured towards the stupid-looking boys. - "You're playing some kind of villain or something? Grow up, mate!"

Ron, Harry and few other people were snickering now under their noses. Malfoy became red with anger, he wanted to say something, but Harry interrupted him.

"Yeah, what she said. I will figure out which are the good families for myself, thanks." - he started going a bit quicker to avoid further conversation, but it wasn't necessary – they were already at the castle's door. An old woman in a big pointy hat was already waiting there.

"Firs' years, Professor McGonagall" - introduced them Hagrid and the witch nodded her head and invited them inside, and so they all followed. She explained they will feast soon but first they have to be sorted in their new houses. Daphne felt so good hearing something she already knew about.

The castle was stunning, but when they entered the Great Hall was when Daphne had to hold on to Hermione not to faint. The whole ceiling was like a night sky, but under it were dozens and dozens candles, just flying there. There were four tables, already filled with students who started clapping and shouting when the first years came in. McGonagall lead them trough the aisle in the middle to a little stool and a strange wizard hat on top. Beside it there was a table for professors and Daphne recognized the man from the card – he was sitting in the middle and smiling at the children.

"I will call your name and you come hear, sit on the stool and wear the Sorting Hat, it will tell you which house you belong in. But first, let's hear from it!"

The hat started singing but it was the least of Daphne's concerns. She was already wet from the sweat that suddenly hit her. " _A list"_? - she thought. - " _Of course, there's a list!_ ". Thoughts were rushing through her head – she will not get called, and everybody will know, and she will have to explain everything and then they will kill her probably. And make a potion or an amulet out of her body. She could run for it right now or try pretending to faint, but eventually they will find out. Obviously, they will find out! She had to stop herself from crying, but it wasn't easy. She was shaking like a chihuahua now and she hoped nobody notices.

The Sorting Hat stopped singing and McGonagall hold the roll of parchment to her eyes.

"Abbott, Hannah"

Cute, blonde girl stepped out of line and sat on the stool. The hat thought for a second and shouted:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The yellow table cheered loudly and invited new member of their house to sit with them. With every next name (Bones, Bott, Brocklehurst, Brown, Bulstrode) Daphne felt more like puking. The crowd was getting smaller every minute (Crabbe, Finch-Fletchley, Finnigan, Goyle) and she felt like everybody was staring at her. Hermione got sorted to Gryffindor and sent a cheerful look to Daphne before going to sit with the red house. It didn't help at all, Daphne just pictured how dissapointed she will look when they find out. Neville also got sorted to Gryffindor, which woke up Daphne for her thoughts for a second, cause she could swear Gryffindor was for the brave. Then MacDougal got sorted to Slytherin and then Malfoy as well. Then Moon, Nott, Parkinson, two Patil girls, Parks and finally Harry. The sorting hat took a second longer to sort him but finally she shouted "Gryffindor" and the house of lion started screaming like mad. Daphne gulped, only three more people with her left. Lisa Turpin became Ravenclaw, Ron Weasley became a Gryffindor and then Blaise Zabini became a Slytherin. Daphne was officially standing then alone. She was ready to run, cry, scream and explain herself when McGonagall's words struck her like a lighting.

"Zamora, Daphne."

Daphne was standing there, frozen. Finally she looked around herself but there was no doubt – she was the last one, even though her last name for sure wasn't Zamora. She stood there, shocked like never and she saw moving chocolate frog today.

"Miss Zamora?" - McGonagall rushed her and like in a dream, Daphne walked to that stool and sat. Professor put a hat on her head but she felt brain-dead. She stared blankly at the door, trying not to crack like a porcelain doll – and she was so close to just shattering.

" _Ooooh..._ " - she heard a voice in her head and it woke her up in a second. - " _Now that is unusual. Or even one of a kind..."_  - the voice continued and Daphne just knew the hat could read her every thought.

"Please..." - she whispered as quiet as she could.

" _Oh, no no, don't say anything, you can just think and I will hear it_ " - said the hat and Daphne didn't understand why it didn't already shout "CULPRIT!". - " _So, what do we do?_ " - it asked instead.

" _Please, I wanna stay here_ " - she thought as hard as she could. - " _I wanna try staying here..._ "

" _Oooh, this... This is sooo funny..._ " - the hat snickered and Daphne blushed, embarrassed. - " _Okay, so be it. I mean, I have nothing to lose, right? Oh this is the funniest thing... Okay, I have and idea. There are two blokes who will find it as funny as me, maybe they will help you. Merlin's beard, I wanna see it. Good luck, strange girl, you will need a lots of it... GRYFFINDOR!_ "

The hall filled with cheering, McGonagall took the hat, and Daphne stood up like a robot and stared at the Sorting Hat in professor's hands. It was still smirking between its folds.

She noticed the folks at the red table were extending arms to her and so she walked there, still feeling like drunk or sleep-walking. She sat beside Hermione and stared at her empty, gold plate as people around her pat her back. Single drop of happiness tears came out from her eye and landed on the plate.

She did it. She got in.


	3. How To Make Friends

As soon as Dumbledore finished welcoming them and warning about stuff, the plates filled with more food Daphne has ever seen. It's not like she was from a poor family, but her mother never really cooked that much. Daphne was usually just eating instant noodles and baguettes. So when a whole roasted duck appeared right in front of her, she had to hold her tears.   
“It's so great we're all together, right?” - she said to Hermione while filling her plate with mashed potatoes. She still couldn't believe this whole situation but she was just too joyful right now to think what this all means for her.   
“Yes, I must say, it's very lucky” - Hermione noted with a concern on her face. Ron and Harry were deep into conversation and probably even more hungry for all this delicious food than Daphne. But Neville, sitting by Daphne was listening to the girls. He was looking at his empty plate with a worried face.   
“I think there was a mistake or something... I thought I was gonna go to Hufflepuff... I don't think I'm suited for Gryffindor...”   
“Nonsense!” - Daphne patted his back cheerfully. “I'm sure you just didn't discover it in yourself, but the hat seemed very smart. I would trust her judgement!” - she said like was some kind of expert on that matter when in reality she had no idea what was going on and if the Sorting Hat wasn't just a big trickster who love chaos.   
“Thanks, maybe you're right...” - Neville finally cheered up a little and reached for the roasted duck. “That's the spirit!” - Daphne smiled at him and got back to her meal. “Hey, wonder what's on that third floor, am I right?”  
“We'll probably never know, Dumbledore was clear that we shouldn't go there” - said Hermione and Daphne rolled her eyes at her.  
“Come on, aren't you a little curious? He literally said it in a way so we become curious. He could have said: “We're renovating the third floor so don't go there” or “We're keeping a dragon there”, and it would work better in my opinion. Now I really wanna know what's up there. Am I alone?” - she looked at Hermione and then at Neville. They avoided her gaze, pretending to be interested in their plates. - “Wow, so maybe the hat made a mistake, you're not brave at all!” - she said accusingly but laughed at the same time. Hermione scoffed.  
“I'm not gonna get in trouble right in my first year in Hogwarts!”  
“Okay, so I'll come back to you when we're in the second year, noted.”   
Daphne laughed and so did Neville, but Hermione looked embarrassed. The joy didn't lasted long – Daphne just noticed what she said. How could she think about second year when she's not sure she will be here tomorrow. Now she felt very stupid, and anxious. She shook like hit by a sudden wave of cold and couldn't stop shaking for the rest of the dinner. Fortunately it wasn't too long when everybody was done with their food and Dumbledore wished them goodnight and instructed the prefects to take them to their dormitories.   
Everybody started standing up and walking towards the main door but Daphne was frozen in her place until Hermione grabbed her and said “Come on!”. She pulled her new friend behind her and together they followed a red-head boy who introduced himself as Percy Weasley and started shouting commands at them. Daphne was grateful Hermione was still holding her arm cause she would absolutely faint on their way. To be honest Hermione was almost as surprised when they first saw moving paintings, waving at them and greeting them in the castle. Together they gasped when a ghost-like figure floated trough a wall and started mocking them. Well, it wasn't exactly a nice experience but the girls were more amazed than offended.   
“Peeves, get out of here or I'll call for Dumbledore!” - shouted the prefect.   
“Oooh, I'm so scared, Weasley Boy!” - he screamed in a funny voice and blew a raspberry at him. - “Soooo many babies you're bringing! Don't wet your bed, kids!”   
“I'm not gonna repeat myself!” - shouted Percy and Peeves stuck out his tongue and then flew away, laughing at his own jokes.   
“Wow, what was that?” - said Daphne to Hermione, because she was too scared to ask the prefect in case it was something very obvious in the magical world.   
“Looks like it was Peeves – a poltergeist that has been living in this castle since the founding of Hogwarts. I read about him in the History of Hogwarts but it was something else seeing him in person. That was kinda scary!”   
“It sure was... I hope he doesn't pick on me when I'm alone... I might start crying.”   
Hermione laughed but nodded her head in agreement. They were climbing the stairs for some time now. Fortunately, the stairs were doing most moving which made Daphne hold the handrail as tight as she could. She was sure she liked normal stairs better. Especially when they were already at the top of the staircase and the ground was incredibly far.   
They were now standing in front of a big portrait of a woman dressed in pink silk. She cheered up when she saw the children and when a crowd gathered around her she spoke:  
“Hello, young Gryffindors! I'm called Fat Lady and I'm guarding your dormitory. Please, memorize the password, because I won't let anybody in if they don't say it!”  
“Fat Lady? That's kinda mean, isn't it?” - Daphne whispered to Hermione and the fellow girl nodded but said nothing, listening closely to what the portrait was saying.  
“Pig Snout” - said Percy to the crowd and then turned to the lady and stated the password to her. She waved with a smile to all the kids and her portrait swung open, revealing a hole in the wall. Nobody was waiting for invitations, they all jumped inside impatiently and a loud gasp was heard. Daphne's mouth were opened wide as she touched every pillow on every armchair. The portraits inside were also greeting them happily and Daphne was not far from crying. She shouldn't be here and yet she felt so welcomed by everybody (maybe except Peeves, but she already forgot about that nuisance). More welcomed than anywhere she ever was, actually.   
The fire was cracking beautifully in the fireplace, the stars outside were shining and the sofa Daphne collapsed on was the most comfortable ever. She could die right now and she would be happy probably. But nevertheless she wasn't ready to die yet – she was ready to fight for her place in that school.   
Percy showed them staircases to girl's and boy's dormitory, bathroom, pin board where their schedule was and reminded them one last time that the password was “Pig Snout”. After that he wished them good night, went inside the boy's dormitory and in a few seconds most people were gone from the common room. Daphne was still lying on the couch and soaking up the heat, as was Neville – sitting in front the fireplace.   
“Are you still cold after your swim?” - Daphne asked, chuckling. Neville turned red at the reminder of his fail.   
“Yes, Professor McGonagall made me dry with a spell but I was still cold...”   
Daphne noticed blankets beside her so she threw one to Neville and he thanked her with a smile, covering himself tightly.   
“Oh, somebody drag me away from this bookshelf or I won't sleep tonight” - said Hermione, studying all the books that were in the common room. She was already holding four tomes under her arm.   
“The important thing is, you recognize your problem” - Daphne laughed and got up from the couch. - “Come on, you will have many years to read them. For now you want to be rested for tomorrow.” - she took the books for Hermione's hands and put them back on the shelf. Fellow Gryffindor whimpered sadly but followed her friend to their dormitory.   
They shared a room with five other girls and Daphne got so excited at that sight – she was an only child, so it was refreshing to have company in her room. She could already imagine all the girls talk in late evenings, maybe painting nails together and listening to music. And of course as soon as she thought that she was reminded she probably won't live there long enough for them to become close friends. In that case, she had to speed things up.   
“Hello! I'm Daphne Ch... Zamora” - she walked to one of the girls, who was unpacking her trunk. She had cute curly hair and a pink hairband. She instantly smiled and shook Daphne's hand.  
“I'm Lavender Brown, but you can call me Lav. And that's Parvati” - she pointed to an Asian girl standing nearby. - “We already made friends. But I hope we can all get to know each other!”   
“Yeah, that's would be great.”   
Parvati joined them and introduced herself, so did Hermione and two other girls – Fay and Agatha. They started to chat as they all unpacked. Daphne didn't unpack, she just shoved her backpack inside her drawer. She didn't have almost nothing to unpack and she wanted to be ready when they throw her out – sooner or later.   
“Wow, Harry Potter is our year, that's crazy. I'm gonna write my folks first thing in the morning and I'll mention that.” - said Fay and Daphne opened her eyes wide.  
“Is he a celebrity or something?” - she whispered to Hermione, but Lavender must have heard that as she responded:   
“Don't you know? His parents were known enemies of You-Know-Who. They were killed by him but Harry survived the death curse.”  
Daphne made a stupid face.  
“Should I know who? I don't think I know who...” - she said in an embarrassed tone, staring at her toes.   
“You don't know who is You-Know-Who?” - said Parvati in surprise.  
“Are you all just mocking me right now...?”   
“Em... Daphne, they are talking about a powerful wizard who was terrorizing the magic world before we were born. People are scared to say his name so they call him “He Who Must Not Be Named” or “You Know Who”.”  
“Wow, that's so unnecessary. Will somebody tell me his real name or...?”   
The girls all looked at each other in fear. It was clear nobody wanted to say it at loud so Daphne waited few second and finally shrug her shoulders.  
“Well, maybe I will read about him somewhere. And then I will say his name at loud and you will probably slap me for that.”  
Parvati chuckled.  
“Probably.” - she said and the rest chuckled as well.   
Daphne took off her (or Hermione's) robes and not having other choice – she just took off her jeans and slipped under covers. If she managed to lie her way trough next days she had to find a lost-and-found room or something. Hopefully somebody lost a t-shirt or two, and maybe pajamas. It was a magic school after all – anything was possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, sorry for the long wait but I had a lot to do. I wanted to post a short chapter so I can close the first day at Hogwarts, hope it was enjoyable and probably see you in around 2 weeks.


	4. How To Make a Wand

Daphne woke up from a beautiful dream. In her dream she was a fairy or a sorceress and she could fly and make anything possible. She enchanted all the mail boxes and street lamps to dance with her and everybody was singing. And then she flew so high she could touch the clouds which were made from cotton candy. Everything was so perfect, and then Hermione was there and all her new girlfriends. But then it struck her – it wasn't right. She wasn't meant to know them. If they knew she's just a fraud they would throw her out. Before she knew, Daphne was awake, staring at her bed's canopy, sweat dripping from her forehead. It was going to be a long day.

During breakfast everybody was very excited and full of energy. Daphne was more anxious than excited because at this point she felt she already stretched her luck long enough. Regardless she was as prepared as she could – she had few pages ripped from her diary and an old pencil she found in her backpack. Dressed in Hermione too small robes and few lies up her sleeves she marched with the rest of her friends to a transfiguration classroom. She recognized professor McGonagall from yesterday. It was soon clear to Daphne there was no way she could lie her way trough this class – the woman turned herself into cat! And then her lectern into a pig!

“That's impossible! Scientifically impossible!” - she whispered to Hermione, shocked and also slightly enraged. How was this kept a secret from the whole world? That there are people who can turn wood into animals.

“I know right?” - Hermione agreed, less enraged and more fascinated. Daphne guessed she was preparing herself for stuff like that all summer. Well, for her it was fresh news and she was just full of emotions right now.

Professor McGonagall was discussing basics of transfiguration and already warned them it was going to be one of the hardest subjects but also one of the most powerful. Since Daphne wouldn't be ever able to turn herself into cat she just focused on the “hardest” part.

“Okay, take out your wands, let's do some simple exercises!” - McGonagall said and Daphne was filled with dread in a second. She forgot about wands. She obviously didn't have one.

“Miss Zamora?” - McGongall questioned Daphne, and she needed few moments to even recognize the woman's talking to her. The girl looked around and everybody was already waving their wands.

“I'm sorry, Professor. I forgot my wand...” - she said, embarrassed as hell. She was already preparing to be exposed when the women said:

“Then go quickly to your dormitory and bring it, you're not gonna just sit here and look. Off you go!” - she shooed her and Daphne stood up like a robot and walked out of the classroom. The moment doors closed behind her she felt like running. Just running away from this castle and back to London. She was so out of place and so scared. She just changed one stressful location to another one.

“Except here I already made some friends and the meals are great” - she thought and felt empowered. - “I have to fight till the last breath! Even if it means embarrassing myself in the end! To think of that... It's really funny that I'm here and nobody noticed yet...”

She chuckled a little at that thought. Wizards might be very powerful but they are not the best when it comes to discovering lies.

“Okay! I need to find a wand! What even is a wand? It's just a piece of wood... Right?”

After establishing that she sneaked out of the castle. She had to ask some painting for help, but it was a portrait of a grumpy old man and it was very offended since he was stuck in one place and didn't know his way around the castle. But then some other painting helped and then one more and eventually she was in the main hall. Filled with determination she opened the main door and walked outside. The weather was amazing – sunny but with a slight breeze coming from the lake. She didn't have the time to admire it unfortunately for the clock was ticking and she didn't want to annoy McGonagall more than she already had.

She crossed the bridge she remembered from yesterday and found herself on the school grounds. In the distance she saw a little hut, a single small tower (and since many owls were flying around it she assumed it was the Owlery), and something that looked like an arena or a court. And then, surrounding it all there was a big forest. But it was way too far for Daphne. Instead she found a small shrub with twigs thick enough to pose for a wand and broke one off. She spent like 30 second perfecting her stick and then ran towards the school – unsure, but weirdly proud.

Daphne walked back in class and noticed no magic was really accomplished here. They were all poking buttons with wands but nothing was happening.

“You're back!” - Hermione said excited but didn't look up from her button. - “We're trying to make those blue buttons turn red. Mine's purple already!”

“Wow, that's great!” - Daphne praised her honestly. Beside Hermione there was Ron and Harry and their completely blue buttons. Neville was next to Daphne and his button was also very blue. It encouraged Daphne like no words could. She took out her “wand” and for a few seconds she was very scared everybody will start laughing. But nobody noticed it was just a twig. Honestly, all the other wands looked like a twig so whatever. She was here to do business. And the business was poking button with the greatest determination.

“Eh, I can't do it” - she moaned, but heard exactly what she was hoping for:

“It's okay, Daphne. Most people can't do it yet!” - Hermione said, sounding a bit like a know-it-all, but Daphne didn't mind. If she was going to be constantly overshadowed by her, nobody will notice her mistakes. Hopefully. That was the plan. And maybe if Neville fails to do most of the basic tasks they can be the worst together. Fool-proof.

“Okay, that's all for today, thank you all, and read the first chapter for the next class” - Professor McGonagall wished them goodbye and Daphne felt like crying. She officially survived her first class being not suspicious at all.

“I feel so energized” - said Hermione when they were going to another classroom. - “Like I could do anything!”

“Well, if you do half as good as you were during transfiguration you can actually do anything. She said it was very hard after all.”

Parvati agreed and Hermione blushed heavily.

“I hope you can help me a bit with this exercise later” - said Lavender and then Daphne, Parvati and Neville eagerly nodded their heads, which made Hermione blush even more.

The next class was history of magic, which didn't require any magic skills. Everybody was bored out of their minds after few minutes but Daphne was actually happy for it. Not only she didn't have to pretend like she was a witch, she could actually learn a thing or two about the magic world. She relaxed and scribbled her notes happily. After class few boys asked her for the notes she made, clearly being more approachable than Hermione with her know-it-all attitude (at least to people that didn't know her). They might have been only two people that were doing notes from the start to the end.

After class the walked together to the Great Hall and talked about goblins. Hermione actually told her about other species in the wizarding world and then Lavender and Parvati joined and explained how house elves worked. Neither Daphne nor Hermione liked the idea, so they guessed it was something to get used to. But it rubbed them the wrong way anyway. Daphne was also surprised to know there are giants, centaurs and many more. They all live in their own communities though so it's unlikely to meet them other than in a textbook.

It was late afternoon. Daphne was sitting in the common room and Neville was teaching her how to play magic chess. It was different from normal chess cause you didn't have to move the figures yourself, you just told them what to do. And that's all to be honest. Oh, and also the figures slaughtered themselves on the board, with actual small swords and other weapons. It was gruesome and oddly satisfying. Hermione was out in the library and Daphne couldn't stop thinking about it. She knew she should work at least as hard as Hermione to have a chance at staying here.

“I'm gonna go learn with Hermione in the library” - she said finally and stood up. Neville shrugged, clearly not interested in the idea. Well, Daphne hoped he would go with her but looked like she had to do it herself.

She had the worst luck on the moving stairs. It was actually the first time she had to use them all by herself and they obviously didn't like her. She went to the fourth floor and then back to six and then to first and back to six and at this point she was ready to give up and go back to her room. But she gave it one last try and they took her to seventh floor. She sighted and left he staircase, not ready to spent another 15 minutes trying to go back to six floor again. She might as well explore seventh floor for now. It looked deserted and she felt chills run down her spine as she walked the corridor, lights dimmed, empty walls without portraits making it awfully quiet. The grim atmosphere was all Daphne needed to feel terrible. She started thinking how she couldn't even take the stairs because you probably had to be a witch to navigate them properly. She thought how tomorrow day starts with Charms class and she felt her heart hurt with anxiety. You can't really pretend to do charms without doing charms after all. She stopped a weep in its tracks, trying not to break down right there but it was very hard. She wished there was something or someone to help her.

She stopped suddenly. At this point she was so deep in her minds she was just pacing left and right in one of the corridors. It was completely empty and no sound was heard except Daphne's beating heart and then a quiet gasp when she noticed big doors in front of her. They were fuzzy for a moment and then started to appear more clearly. They were somewhat enchanting – really big and beautiful, like no other doors in Hogwarts. Not thinking to long she placed her hand on the handle and push carefully, sticking just her head in. She gasped loudly this time and walked inside, closing the door behind her. And as they closed, they vanished.


	5. How to Find Books

Daphne held hand to her chest, afraid her heart will just pop out there from excitement. She instantly felt her forehead and palms beginning to sweat. Nevertheless she rubbed her eyes with her sweaty hand. The room was still there.  
It was very dark, the only light coming trough the window which Daphne recognized were enchanted, because she just saw it was pouring cats and dogs outside and in here the weather behind the windows was nice. Big moon on a clear sky was lighting up the room. It was enough for Daphne to recognize it was some kind of storage. With almost no room to move, every part of the floor occupied by wardrobes, cabinets, book stands and other furniture. There were also piles of books, many cages, trophies, cauldrons, hats and bottles, empty or with suspicious liquids.  
  
Daphne took few steps, amazed, scared and very careful not to break anything. She studied everything closely like she hoped somewhere there will be an explanation what is this place. But between forgotten objects there was only dust. It was clear no one was there for years. She saw a spider and jumped in panic, and then she saw a big figure that made her scream like mad. After a second she covered her mouth, not to make any more noise, especially since that big figure was a big stuffed... something. She didn't know that creature, but it reminded her of J.R.R Tolkien's books. Like a goblin, or a giant or a troll. She turned her gaze from the disturbing decoration and picked one of the books from a nearby pile. She recognized it immediately: A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. She had to borrow it from Hermione today. It was very embarrassing but nobody said anything not to be rude.  
  
“They probably thought I'm from a poor family and can't afford it.” Daphne thought to herself, but still felt kinda stupid about it.  
  
She considered it for a second but eventually decided to take the book. It was all dusty, so probably no one needed it anyway. But it gave Daphne an idea. She could just as well take some other things she needed! She didn't feel good about it, but she promised herself she will give everything back if she has the chance. And she will take great care of it!  
  
She clutched the book to her chest like it was the most precious thing and she looked at the next tome on the pile -“The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 “ - it said on the cover and without much thinking Daphne snatched it in excitement. The next one she recognized – Hermione was reading it most of the time and it was for potions. Daphne already heard professor teaching potions is very demanding and Hermione wanted to be fully prepared.  
The girls studied other books for a while. She found the book for history she shared with Lavender today, but other than that she didn't recognize anything else, and no other one had a obvious “Grade 1” written on the front. She took one of the cauldrons and used it as a bag for all her findings.  
  
Big, old clock announced with loud bangs it was already nine. But Daphne didn't care. She decided she will wait till the curfew so she can sneak quietly and no one questions where did she find all of those things. And so she scoured trough the room like it was Black Friday and everything was cheap as dirt, except she was alone and everything was free. And also she didn't buy a TV but rather a witch hat. She got frustrated, because she didn't really knew what she had to take. Obviously she took all the clothes around her size she could find, and almost cried from happiness when she found old robes that were only a bit too big. Then she took a rusty sword from a broken weapon-stand and swung few times, filling herself with determination and power. Searching further she found a knitted scarf, a whole lot of parchment (but some of it was stained or ripped), an glass orb (which she did not take cause it was awfully heavy and seemed useless) and some candles along with a rusty candlestick. Her cauldron was now full and almost impossible to carry, so Daphne stopped looking for stuff and just started reading the history book.  
  
Few minutes after the clock announced it was 10, Daphne took her cauldron and opened the door slowly, checking if the hallway was empty. It indeed was just as empty as it was when she first got there so she stepped carefully and anxiously. She sneaked, slouched like a comic villain or a burglar, her cauldron only an inch above the grounds, because it was very heavy. She only had to go from floor 7 to floor 6, but her heart was racing like crazy. Especially when she approached the staircase. Nobody seemed to be around it, but she remembered her awful luck with those stairs.  
  
“Please, please, take me to floor 6. Please!” - she whispered dramatically, caressing the handrail. She stepped on the first step and closed her eyes, trying to keep her heart from jumping out. It was merely few seconds before she felt the stairs stopping. She opened her eyes, and almost gasped, seeing the face of The Fat Lady. Daphne patted the handrail one more time and whispered a quick “Thank you!” before standing before the portrait.  
“That's not good, young lady.” The Fat Lady nagged her. “The curfew is starting at ten!”  
  
Daphne lowered her gaze, ashamed.  
  
“I'm sorry, it won't happen again. Pig Snout...”  
  
Lady in the portrait smiled tenderly and moved aside to let her trough the hole.  
  
Inside there were few people, but mostly some older students, that didn't even acknowledged her. Daphne didn't risk it and ran to her dormitory. She didn't stop until she was by her bed and she hid her cauldron under it. Only then she looked at the other girls. Most of them were busy reading or talking to each other. Only Agatha was looking at her with a puzzled expression.  
  
“What were you doing so late?” She asked, and Daphne tried to look casual, unbuttoning her robes.

“Lost the track of time, I was doing some reading on a windowsill in an quiet hallway. There was no clock there so I didn't even hear...”  
  
“Hope nobody saw you wandering around, you could get in trouble.”  
  
Daphne chuckled a little and nodded her head.  
  
“Yeah, lady in the portrait nagged me. But other than that I was fine. Not gonna try it again, though.”  
  
Agatha laughed and didn't question further. She put down a book she was reading and lied on the bed, and few seconds later she blew her candle off. The other girls followed, wished themselves good night and soon the room was quiet and dark. Daphne didn't sleep for the next hour, she just listened to quiet snores of her friends. And at last, when she counted 5 different snores, she stood up. As quiet as possible she took her cauldron out and put books, parchment and candles in her bedside cabinet. Then she wanted to put her new clothes in the laundry basket that was standing near door because they all smelled like an old lady. She decided she will only put some of them inside, not to look suspicious. It was only their second night after all. Feeling like a boulder just left her shoulders she came back to bed and went to sleep in few seconds.  
  
  
The next day her clothes were already clean and folded, waiting for her on her bed stand. They were all kinda old-school, but it was the best she had so she didn't mind. She embraced her new 70's style with dignity and excitement. Lavender even complimented her skirt, so that made her extra happy. She practically jumped trough her way to breakfast.  
  
“You're in a good mood today.” Commented Hermione suspiciously when they sat.  
  
“I am, as a matter of fact.” She said simply, providing no further explanation. She was ready to eat a really big meal and then take over the world.  
  
“We start with Charms and then we have Defense Against Dark Art. Those subjects sound really exciting!” Fay clutched to her seat like she was on a roller-coaster. She only had a pastry on her plate, visibly to excited to eat anything normal.  
  
“More like scary...” Agatha didn't share her enthusiasm. “Especially the Dark Arts one. Did you see the professor? He makes me uncomfortable...”  
  
“His turban stinks, just say it at loud.” Parvati chuckled a little and other girls followed. Daphne's heart skipped a beat. She felt so happy like she might have never felt before. Just chatting with her girlfriends, eating delicious food and feeling like anything is possible.  
  
Charms were indeed easier than Transfiguration. Professor Flitwick was explaining a lot and only showed them how to flick their wands but they didn't have to try any magic themselves. Daphne flicked her wand like her life depended on it, happy that no one was expecting any sparkles from her regular piece of wood. She looked at her whole class and had to hold a chuckle – a middle aged man showing how to swing a branch to a group of eleven-year-olds. That was so funny when you looked at it like that.  
“Well, I really expected something more exciting...” Said Fay when they were walking to another classroom.

“We still have plenty of time to actually practice magic.” Hermione chimed in. “I think we have to know the basics very well first. It's only gonna reward us later!”  
  
“Why do you have to be always right?” Lavender sighted dramatically but then smiled. “I can't wait to learn how to hex people! I already have few targets chosen.”  
  
“Wow, remind me to never get on your black list, girl.” Daphne chuckled. They were climbing long spirally stairs now, DADA's classroom ahead of them. “Can you smell it?” She asked suddenly.  
  
Everybody could and they weren't hiding it. The girls held their noses and frowned in disgust.  
  
“It's garlic.” Said Parvati and everybody nodded. “What is this? Cooking class?”  
  
“If it's food, it smells awful.” Hermione was first one to take another step towards classroom. Everybody followed but it only started to get worse.  
  
“I'm sorry for the smell, girls. I have strong evidence to suggest that certain vampire might be holding a grudge against me. The garlic is a precaution.” Professor Quirrel said when they entered, all holding their noses.  
  
“Just kill it or something, don't torture us...” Daphne whispered in a mocking tone and the girls laughed quietly.  
  
Soon they all sat in pairs, Daphne with Hermione as usual. She eyed Hermione's book when she took it out of her bag and made sure to remember it's cover. She was gonna try and find it in the magic room on the seventh floor. Maybe it was silly, but when Daphne took out her own copy of “The Standard Book of Spells” during Charms, she felt awesome. Like she really belonged. Even when she didn't, really.  
  
The lesson wasn't that great after all. It really stank, which made it hard to focus and professor Quirrel was stuttering a lot, which made it hard to grasp what was he talking about. When the class finally ended Daphne almost ran towards the door, needing some clean air.  
  
“That was even more disappointing, wasn't it?” Asked them Parvati, as they were heading for lunch.  
  
“Well, in this case I don't know how to make you feel better...” Hermione said sadly. “We might learn something exciting during Charms in the future, but the garlic smell is here to stay.”  
  
“Garlic Boy back at it again with tormenting people with his aroma?” They heard a voice from behind and turned around. It was two identical boys with red hair and Gryffindor symbols on their robes.  
  
“Have you heard his sappy story about the awful mean vampire that won't let him alone?” Said one of them.  
  
“Poor baby Quirrel probably holds all of his garlic in the turban to protect his neck. That's what we think.” Said the other one. The girls laughed but looked at each other with a “Does anybody know these guys?” faces.  
  
“Wonder if he takes it off when he showers.” Said Daphne, hoping to be at least somewhat funny.  
  
“Bold of you to assume he showers.” One of the brother responded.  
  
“Also, first year and you're already fantasizing about a teacher in a shower? Bloody hell, you're fast, girl!” Said the other one and Daphne felt her face truing red as a tomato.  
  
“Fred, George, stop harassing our friends.” Ron appeared out of nowhere with Harry beside him.  
  
“Only when they stop being so charming!” One of the boys winked to Daphne and the other one waved at the rest of group, and withing seconds they were gone.  
  
“Ugh, my stupid brothers, Fred and George.” Said Ron like he was obliged to introduce them. “They think they're soo funny...”  
  
Harry and Ron left them and walked faster to the Great Hall. Lavender made sure they are too far to hear them and whispered in an amused voice:  
  
“They actually were really funny.”  
  
Girls chuckled and nodded, maybe except Hermione, who wasn't all that amused by them or at least she tried not to show it.  
  
Soon they arrived to lunch and filled their stomachs. They had one more history class in the afternoon and then they all went outside, to enjoy maybe last summer days. The sun was shining but the air was a little bit chilly, not to mention damp grass after last night's thunderstorm. It didn't stop them to find the most dry and soaked in sun spot and chat a little. All the first year Gryffindors were there which gave Daphne the chance to introduce herself properly to Seamus and Dean. Everybody said some stuff about themselves, but when it came to Daphne she didn't really know what to say.  
  
“Umm... My name is Daphne... I'm a muggleborn, so I don't know much about the magic world... I enjoy skateboarding and writing and also I love cats!”  
  
“What's a skateboard?” Asked Ron.  
  
“Dude! You never heard about skateboards?” Dean almost got up from his seat.  
  
“It's like a broom but on ground.” Explained Seamus.  
  
“What's the point then?” Ron still didn't understand.  
  
“You don't get it! When you skateboard you look like the coolest kid in the world!” Dean got so excited and Daphne laughed at his words.  
  
“That's actually the reason I started to skateboard. I thought I'm gonna look so cool...” She said, embarrassed a little.  
  
They spent another hour discussing different things about the muggle and magic world. Daphne learned wizards actually fly on enchanted brooms and have a game that involves flying. But apparently everything could be enchanted to fly, as Ron's family owns a flying car and Parvati's mom uses a flying carpet cause it's more convenient. Unfortunately it soon got too cold to sit outside so the kids went back. Parvati was telling them about India during dinner and after that, in the Common Room. Soon they went to take a shower and before Daphne knew, she was lying in bed, only then realizing that she completely forgot she meant to look for the magic room from yesterday.  
  
“Oh well, I'll go there tomorrow.” She thought and went to sleep.


End file.
